1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a humoral testing apparatus for use in performing tests on bodily fluids of humans and other animals.
2. Description of the Related Art
As blood testing units for use in performing tests of blood of humans and other animals, blood testing units having a slide-shaped support and a reagent layer carried on the slide-shaped support, which reagent layer is capable of undergoing a reaction with blood plasma or blood serum and forming a predetermined color, have heretofore been proposed. The blood testing units are proposed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901.
In cases where the blood testing units described above are utilized, blood plasma or blood serum is spotted onto the reagent layer of the blood testing unit. Thereafter, light is irradiated to the reagent layer having formed a color, and an intensity of light reflected from the reagent layer is measured. In this manner, a concentration of a specific substance contained in the blood plasma or the blood serum, or the like, is capable of being quantitatively analyzed in accordance with the intensity of the reflected light. An example of an analysis apparatus for performing the blood tests in the manner described above is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,901.
With regard to the blood testing unit described above, in which the reagent layer is formed on the slide-shaped support, in cases where nonuniformity occurs with the reaction of the reagent with the blood sample within each of the reagent areas, or in cases where fine dust, or the like, is present within each of the reagent areas, adverse effects on specific results of the light intensity detection due to the nonuniformity in reaction, the fine dust, or the like, may degrade the accuracy of the blood test.
Problems basically similar to the problems described above may occur in cases of the blood testing unit for performing tests on bodily fluids other than the blood of animals, such as urine, sweat, or cerebrospinal fluid.